Somerset police chief announces candidacy for Governor's Council

Somerset Police Chief Joseph Ferreira is running for the Dist. 1 Governor's Council seat and will oppose incumbent Oliver Cipollini Jr. in the Democratic primary.

Michael Holtzman Herald News Staff Reporter @MDHoltzman

SOMERSET — Touting his background as a lawyer and law enforcement leader, Police Chief Joseph Ferreira said today he is running for the Dist. 1 Governor’s Council seat and will oppose incumbent Oliver Cipollini Jr. in the Democratic primary in September.

Ferreira, 51, is retiring in early June after nine years as Somerset’s police chief and 30 years as an officer.

“I want to utilize my experience as a lawyer and police chief and as a former law clerk to choose the best and brightest judges and clerk magistrates regardless of race, color or sexual orientation,” Ferreira said.

He said council's selections “for many, many years been a rubber stamp” of the governor’s nomination.

Dist. 1 consists of 46 communities encompassing parts of southeastern Massachusetts and the Cape and islands.

Ferreira has for years been an associate of Lynch & Lynch in South Easton, and was particularly active practicing law prior to becoming a police chief in 1995, he said.

A graduate of Somerset High School in 1981 and Bryant College in 1984, graduating summa cum laude, he graduated magna cum laude from Southern New England School of Law in 1992, followed by a clerkship through 1993 when he took a two-year leave of absence from police work.

In 1985 he graduated first in his class from the police academy, according to information Ferreira provided.

Ferreira has begun collecting the 1,000 signatures of registered voters he needs to become a candidate.

On Friday he established his candidate’s committee with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. It’s headed by Francis Lynch III of Easton as chairman and Nicholas Bernier of Fall River as treasurer.